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Superior and unique motorycle oil

Brazil motorcycle oil field trial video

Recognising the importance of testing engine oils in demanding, real world conditions, Infineum has recently completed an extensive field trial to demonstrate the performance of its latest motorcycle additive technology. Watch the outcome on video and learn about the value these new oils can deliver.

Brazil motorcycle oil field trial

With over 80 years of experience in the formulation, manufacturing, and marketing of lubricant additives, Infineum recognises the value of testing engine oils in demanding, real world conditions. It’s for those reasons, and more, that our additives are in over 200 million motorcycles worldwide.

But this was no ordinary field trial... but one of the toughest imaginable …15 motorcycles running over 100,000 kilometers carrying very heavy loads up and down the hills of Salvador, Brazil.

It was here that we wanted to clearly demonstrate the true performance of Infineum S1990, 4 stroke motorcycle additive technology, in a 5W-30 grade against 10W-30 competitive formulations including an OEM oil and a leading lubricant marketer’s oil. A 20W-50 oil was used as a reference for the test.

The test bikes were the Honda CG 150 Fan, one of the most popular motorcycles in Brazil, equipped with Flex fuel engines running with Brazilian E27 gasoline containing 27% ethanol.

Before the trial, all the engines were inspected and then cleaned and flushed to avoid contamination to ensure they started the trial in exactly the same condition. The bikes were then filled with one of the five test oils – each oil being tested in three different bikes.

Some Brazilian cities have a network of piped gas, but here in Salvador the majority of the distribution is carried out through the use of bottled gas canisters, containing liquefied petroleum gas which are mainly transported by motorcycles.

So during the trial each motorcycle carried three gas cylinders, each weighing 28 kgs, plus a metal frame to carry the load and the test rider – it was as if the bikes were carrying the weight of two or three people.

The combination of the hilly terrain, stop and go operation, heavy loads and high ambient temperatures put extreme demands on the motorcycle oils being tested. Those factors can lead to degradation of the motorcycle engines, due to wear and deposit formation.

During each oil change, samples were collected for laboratory analysis. The riders were then interviewed to get their impressions of how the bikes performed during the trial. At the end of the test, the engines were torn down and all the parts were inspected. Oil samples were also collected for final analysis.

Luiz: “My name is Luiz Fernando. I am a Mechanical Engineer. My role in this project was to guide the preparation of the engines at the start of the test and to inspect the same engines at the end of the test and evaluate wear and deposit formation resulting from the oils being tested. This analysis was made visually by evaluating the deposits and comparing the formation of varnish and sludge with the ASTM standards.”

Luiz: “In general, I observed very little formation of deposits and very slight wear. The cylinders, for example, had only superficial scratching from the sliding of the rings and, for the most part, the honing marks were preserved.”

While the Infineum S1990 was formulated in a low viscosity 5W-30 oil, it provided wear protection equivalent to that of the 10W-30 candidate oils.”

The unique chemistry of Infineum S1990 demonstrated superior and unique performance throughout the entire service life of the oil with features above and beyond the minimum requirements of the JASO specification, including: